Decorative Details
Although the façade of a building is impressive, I always find myself staring at the ceiling. One of my favourite artistic motifs in neoclassical buildings are the blue ceilings with gold stars. I’ve seen them in the Zappeion, the University of Athens, and an innumerable amount of Church throughout Greece . I have heard a few explanations as to how this decoration originated. This motif is earliest seen on the ceilings of ancient Egyptian tombs but was likely popularised in modernity by churches as a way to evoke images of the heavens.
Interestingly, the ceiling of the University of Athens — constructed in the neoclassical style — emphasises symmetry and embellishment via yellow, red, blue, and black paint on marble.
On the other hand, the Metropolitan Cathedral continues the star motif but with emphasis placed on the supports of the barrel vault rather than on the stars themselves. Nonetheless, this decoration, which appears to be a staple in neoclassical architecture and beyond, does not seem to have a basis in art or architecture from antiquity.
The Iliou Melathron, on the other hand, has intentionally incorporated decorative motifs from antiquity. The columns, as mentioned in a previous post, are some of the most notable features of neoclassical architecture. However, I would like to draw your attention to the small rosettes or poppy flowers seen above the columns. These flowers decorate many prominent buildings through modern Athens and ancient Greece.
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I first noticed the poppy flower as an architectural decoration on a trip I took to Eleusis; the metopes of the Great Propylaea were adorned with rosettes, reminiscent of the poppies that decorate the Grecian landscape.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier directly references art and architecture of the past. The monument imitates grave stele from the 5th century because of the marble, the sculpture style, and the hoplite imagery. While this is one of the most obvious references to antiquity, it’s not the only one. Low relief sculptures are scattered around modern Athens in the form of friezes (see the 19th vs 20th century post) and other monuments. I’ve noticed that while architecture from the 19th century explicitly uses motifs from classical antiquity, architecture from the 20th century sprinkles details that subtly reference antiquity. However, modern architecture also takes liberties to transform the pieces of the past into functional and meaningful decorations.
